Many times I have felt that today’s kids get it all. I mean, look at the game arcades, and play areas inside shopping malls. The varieties available to kids in clothing, food are enormous. From bedding to doormats to switch plates everything in kids’ room is adorned with their favorite cartoon character. Oh, and the toys –washable crayons, pretend play sets and play stations keep them in their own world. From pizza to puli saadham by son has tried a variety of dishes. From denim jeans to angavastram dhoties my son has every style of clothing and shoes.
We never had this many choices when we were kids. These thoughts were running through my mind as I was running to my son’s daycare for his graduation party. My first graduation party was when I finished college. But I couldn’t go for it since I wasn’t in town that time. And they actually mailed the certificate by post to my home. I did go for the graduation party after grad school but again no one accompanied me; it was no big deal then. But my son gets a party even before he enters pre-school.
I look through the window and I see that some parents have already come. The kids are dressed up wearing a graduation cap and a medal. They are avidly showing off the books and toys to their parents. I scan the entire room carefully looking for my son. I see him sitting in a corner and looking anxiously at the door. His eyes are shiny; he looks like he’s about to cry. I went in and as soon as he saw me he was all happy and smiling. I guess for sometime, he thought that I may not show up for his party.
There were balloons, cupcakes and other goodies for the kids. The teacher was busy rolling up the certificates and tying them with a piece of satin ribbon. I was surprised that the children were unusually quiet that day despite all the balloons and sugary treats around them. After a while, the teacher picked up a toy mike, started calling out names of kids and distributed the certificates to them. My son was anxiously waiting for his turn. As more and more kids got the certificate he started to feel disappointed. He turned around and said “I am big boy now…” Finally the teacher called out his name, he was jumping happing. He got the certificate from her, turned around, looked at me and smiled so happily & proudly as if he achieved something great.
At that moment, I remembered his first day at the daycare. He clung to my neck and wouldn’t let me go. I left him forcefully with the teacher as he was wailing. I waited behind the doors until he calmed down. A month passed and he had gradually stopped crying but not yet so happy about the place. A month later, he started to like his teacher. He was still not playing with the other kids. I was just starting to feel a little comfortable in the mornings since he was not clinging anymore and he happily went to hug his teacher. Then one day the teacher was sick and she didn’t come in. There was a new teacher that he didn’t like at all. Every morning he would walk in the classroom eagerly looking for his old teacher. But seeing the new teacher I could say that he was disappointed. This happened for about a week and then he was happy again when his old teacher came back. Eventually he started developing friends in his class. He was especially thick friends with one little boy who changed schools after a few months. My son couldn’t understand this and he kept asking why his friend hasn’t come. I felt he was not able to say it correctly but he missed his friend very much. Days went by and he got other friends. Now he wants to wait in school until his friends leave or to take them to our home or to go with them to their place. It is amazing to see how far he has socialized in the last one year. I clapped cheerfully for my son as he ran back to me to show his certificate.
I realized how important this day is for him, how much he has achieved in the last one year. At his age, I never went to school. I must have been pampered by my parents, grandparents and rest of the family. I wouldn’t have had this much exposure to the outside world.
I realized kids get a lot these days but in return the expectation from them is also higher than before. He is going to pre-school in a couple of months and I am already worried how he is going to adjust to the new classroom with new set of kids & teachers...
We never had this many choices when we were kids. These thoughts were running through my mind as I was running to my son’s daycare for his graduation party. My first graduation party was when I finished college. But I couldn’t go for it since I wasn’t in town that time. And they actually mailed the certificate by post to my home. I did go for the graduation party after grad school but again no one accompanied me; it was no big deal then. But my son gets a party even before he enters pre-school.
I look through the window and I see that some parents have already come. The kids are dressed up wearing a graduation cap and a medal. They are avidly showing off the books and toys to their parents. I scan the entire room carefully looking for my son. I see him sitting in a corner and looking anxiously at the door. His eyes are shiny; he looks like he’s about to cry. I went in and as soon as he saw me he was all happy and smiling. I guess for sometime, he thought that I may not show up for his party.
There were balloons, cupcakes and other goodies for the kids. The teacher was busy rolling up the certificates and tying them with a piece of satin ribbon. I was surprised that the children were unusually quiet that day despite all the balloons and sugary treats around them. After a while, the teacher picked up a toy mike, started calling out names of kids and distributed the certificates to them. My son was anxiously waiting for his turn. As more and more kids got the certificate he started to feel disappointed. He turned around and said “I am big boy now…” Finally the teacher called out his name, he was jumping happing. He got the certificate from her, turned around, looked at me and smiled so happily & proudly as if he achieved something great.
At that moment, I remembered his first day at the daycare. He clung to my neck and wouldn’t let me go. I left him forcefully with the teacher as he was wailing. I waited behind the doors until he calmed down. A month passed and he had gradually stopped crying but not yet so happy about the place. A month later, he started to like his teacher. He was still not playing with the other kids. I was just starting to feel a little comfortable in the mornings since he was not clinging anymore and he happily went to hug his teacher. Then one day the teacher was sick and she didn’t come in. There was a new teacher that he didn’t like at all. Every morning he would walk in the classroom eagerly looking for his old teacher. But seeing the new teacher I could say that he was disappointed. This happened for about a week and then he was happy again when his old teacher came back. Eventually he started developing friends in his class. He was especially thick friends with one little boy who changed schools after a few months. My son couldn’t understand this and he kept asking why his friend hasn’t come. I felt he was not able to say it correctly but he missed his friend very much. Days went by and he got other friends. Now he wants to wait in school until his friends leave or to take them to our home or to go with them to their place. It is amazing to see how far he has socialized in the last one year. I clapped cheerfully for my son as he ran back to me to show his certificate.
I realized how important this day is for him, how much he has achieved in the last one year. At his age, I never went to school. I must have been pampered by my parents, grandparents and rest of the family. I wouldn’t have had this much exposure to the outside world.
I realized kids get a lot these days but in return the expectation from them is also higher than before. He is going to pre-school in a couple of months and I am already worried how he is going to adjust to the new classroom with new set of kids & teachers...
